Welcome to the official CQUniversity Student Blog – CQUniLife. This blog follows the experiences of a diverse group of CQUniversity students from different countries, studying various programs and at various campuses throughout Australia.

How CQUniversity’s TEP program helped me succeed

My name is Christie Wishart and I am a Bundaberg based student studying my second year of a Bachelor of Medical Science (Nutrition) by distance education.

My journey at CQUniversity Australia began in 2013 when I enrolled in the Tertiary Entry Program (TEP)* program, which I started in the first term of 2014. Early in the first term I remember feeling very overwhelmed by it all and feeling like I would be lucky to pass, but the staff always gave the support I needed to get through and with their help I did better than I could have ever imagined.

The Tertiary Entry Program (TEP) program helped me transition into University life in the way and with the support I needed. The residential schools were a great way of connecting with other students and staff, while again receiving the extra support needed to succeed.

The many support services such as the Academic Learning Centre (ALC), counselling services and, health and wellbeing services provide much needed assistance to students. Likewise the flexible study options are great and have made juggling personal and study commitments a lot easier. As a distance student I can work at a pace that suits me and with residential schools I have the opportunity to stay connected to fellow students and receive the hands on experience I need to succeed.

There are many facilities on offer at various CQUniversity campuses. I find university is different to what people might think it is. The majority of students and staff are like minded; so you have something in common with almost everyone at CQU. You all have assignments due, exams to complete and are passionate about similar things. The university also offers many social activities such as sporting events, movie nights and competitions.

The Tertiary Entry Program (TEP) program has helped me to attain the necessary skills and confidence I needed to begin completing a university degree and to get me where I am today. I strongly recommend this program to anyone considering it.

I have found that everything to help you succeed is available to you at CQUniversity.

*The Tertiary Entry Program (TEP) is an enabling program which is delivered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to assist them in gaining the skills, knowledge and confidence to undertake university study.